South Central earned a spot in the Championship game of the National Trail Conference Softball Tournament with a semifinal win over Windsor/Stew-Stras while Altamont fell to St. Anthony in the other semifinal game and CHBC beat St. Elmo-Brownstown in the consolation bracket on Wednesday evening.
In the semifinals, South Central used a 4-run fifth inning and a 2-run seventh inning to get a 7-5 win over WSS. A first inning triple by Jaylyn Michel and a RBI ground out put the Cougars on the board with a 1-0 lead. WSS then took the lead at 3-1 and edged it out to 4-1. Three innings later, with two outs in the top of the fifth inning, Kyra Swift singled and Michel walked to put two runners on before Taegan Webster reached base on an error with Swift scoring on the play to cut the WSS lead down to 4-2. Brooklyn Garrett then sent the first pitch she saw over the left field fence for a 3-run home run to give the Cougars the 5-4 lead. WSS tied the game back up at 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth, but the Cougars fought back in the top of the seventh scoring a run on a RBI single to center field by Kaitlyn Swift and another run on a sacrifice fly by Abi Shuler for a 7-5 lead. Shuler then flashed some glove and quick thinking in the field snatching a line drive for one out and tagging second for the double play before Kaitlyn Swift made the easy ground out play at second to close out the 7-5 win for South Central.
In the other semifinal game, Altamont had rough start they could not come back from as St. Anthony put up 17 runs on the Indians in the first inning to lead 17-0 before Altamont scored their first run in the top of the second inning. St. Anthony added on 6 runs in the bottom of the third to push their lead to 23-1 and Altamont was able to get two last runs across in the top of the 4th before St. Anthony closed out the 23-3 win.
St. Anthony and South Central will now square off in the tournament’s championship game tonight at 6:00pm while Altamont and WSS will play in the third place game at 4:15pm.
In the consolation bracket, CHBC shut out SEB 12-0. CHBC will play Dieterich in the tournament’s consolation final tonight at 4:15pm.
South Central Offense:
Kyra Swift – 1-4, R
Jaylyn Michel – 1-3, BB, 2 R
Taegan Webster – R, RBI
Brooklyn Garrett – 3-4, 2 R, 3 RBI
Kinlee Thompson – 1-3, BB, R
Kaitlyn Swift – 1-3, BB, RBI
Abi Shuler – RBI
Amelia Montes – 1-3
Altamont Offense:
Adria Denton – 2-2, 2 RBI
Peyton Osteen – 2 R
Sophia Pearcy – R
